Why are these injuries and illnesses occurring?
There is a general lack of understanding about the requirements for compliance with OSHA worker health and safety regulations among hospital leadership, employees and in some cases, insurance companies. As a consequence, work-related injuries and illnesses will continue to occur at this unacceptably high rate and hospital workers will not be properly trained in how to protect themselves from workplace health and safety hazards.
How can this long-standing problem be corrected?
The most effective way to reverse this pattern is by implementing a total health and safety program 3 reflects the hospital's core values:
- Recognizes that worker health and safety, patient safety and the corporate bottom line are all connected.
- Requires that leadership and employees share an equal legal and moral responsibility to comply with worker health and safety regulations (OSHA).
- Creates a positive environment where employee and patient are equal priorities.
- Constantly monitors the facility's health and safety performance to ensure continuous improvement.
What are the financial benefits of implementing a total health and safety program?
When employees are not injured, there are direct savings because there are no workers' compensation benefit claims. Therefore, there are no medical costs. And there are no administrative costs that would otherwise come directly out of the facility's operating income. Workers' compensation premiums are also reduced. These dollars are put directly to the hospital's net operating income.
Implementation of such a program at a 74-bed hospital in Washington resulted in a virtual elimination of needle stick injuries, a drastic reduction in all work-related injuries and illnesses and a savings in workers' compensation-related costs of more than $450,000 within eight months.
Linda Chaff is president of Chaff & Co. and is the author of "Total Health and Safety for Health Care Facilities." This book demonstrates how health care workers' health and safety, the environment they work in, patient care, the well-being of health care workers' families, and the corporate bottom lines are all connected. It also brings together caring values, core elements that promote a healthy self-image and workplace health and safety regulations proven to reduce employee injuries and illnesses.
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